The tap configuration produced by the above company is known in the art and is the major reference of this product.
This version, in particular the one for the adapter of connectors of company CMB, has an operating/actuating process of this type (for the version with quick connection with balls):
step 1: providing a connector present on the market;
step 2: inserting the connector on the main body of the tap;
step 3: providing the internal peg of the connector which performs the operating seal on the tap turret, on which a sealing a O-ring is assembled;
step 4: the tip of the internal peg centrally pushes an actuator of the tap, which frees the liquid outlet hole of the tap present on the body; the actuator moves by a pre-set amount, till it is blocked on a plane geometry of the body and, from then on, the central actuator operates as fixed abutment to open the center of the connector peg, to free the passage of the connector, creating an open channel connector/tap;
step 5: behind the central actuator of the tap, a metallic spring (or the same actuator will be shaped as an elastic dome, also supported by a metallic spring therein) is assembled, which allows its automatic closure (following the above described reverse cycle), allowing to take back the two systems with connector and tap in their closing position.
Such taps however have some defects.
For example, some are not completely made of plastic material, but use metallic springs therein (as occurs for the Maierhöfer tap) so that, once having disconnected it from the connector, it goes back to its closing position, avoiding liquid leakages.
The presence of a metallic spring in a set of plastic pieces makes the tap ecologically not interesting in terms of recycling.
Such taps, further, has not a real and actual warranty seal (of the tamper-preventing type), capable of pointing out a counterfeit or a simple opening thereof, but are only equipped with a small “dust-preventing” plug, whose purpose is protecting the tip of the tap from dust or dirt. Such system, present on all taps being manufactured (both the above mentioned major tap, and also the several copies of this tap), currently does not guarantee against tampering with the product contained in the BIB, since the small plug can be easily removed and re-inserted without the end user getting aware of it.
Sometimes, due to the need of providing a completely aseptic tap (and due to resistance to aseptic treatments), the welding of an operculum, preferably made of aluminum, but also of other materials adapted for such purpose (not shown in the drawings but being part of the invention) is required on the tip of the tap, in order to seal and protect the connection area during the sterilization cycles of the taps/bags.
In this case, it will not be necessary any more to place the above described tamper-preventing seal, but there remains in any case the very big advantage of an end user to understand whether the tap has been used/tampered with, since the aluminum operculum will be stably welded to the tap body.
Once removed, evidence of the opening will appear, since it will not be possible any more to stably place again the seal onto the tap.
Document WO-A1-01/98158 discloses a tap according to the preamble of claim 1.